August 27th 2023.
Members of the United Auto Workers (UAW) are preparing to strike in order to ensure their demands are met in their new contract negotiations. With the contracts set to expire on September 14th, the union organizers are ready to fight for the rights of over 150,000 employees who are looking for better working conditions.
The Big Three automakers, Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis, have been presented with the Members' Demands, which UAW President Shawn Fain has referred to as the most "audacious and ambitious list" in years. Fain was elected in March as part of the Unite All Workers for Democracy movement, which put an end to the one-party rule that had been dominant in the UAW for generations.
In a Facebook Live session earlier in August, Fain reminded members that the companies' record profits, in the billions, should be reflected in the new contracts. He stated that negotiations are not a one-person show, and that the days of falsely believing the president would be able to win contracts on their own are gone.
Similar to the recent strike by writers and SAG-AFTRA, autoworkers are particularly concerned with the rise of electric vehicles and the potential for their job security and quality to be affected. As EV manufacturing becomes more common, workers want to ensure that environmental requirements don't come at the cost of their working standards.
In addition to this, workers are also fighting for the restoration of cost-of-living adjustments, the elimination of tiers on wages and benefits, and the conversion of all current temps into permanent employees.
President Fain is doing his part to ensure the Big Three automakers understand the potential threat of a strike in the upcoming weeks. He is organizing practice pickets and informing workers of the potential strike vote, which could have a lasting impact on the industry.
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